Zero-drift, 36-V in-amp has no 1/f corner for ease of use, highest accuracy

October 26, 2015 //
By Graham Prophet

Texas Instruments says it has the first zero-drift, 36-V instrumentation amplifier, in the form of its INA188, that delivers high, “pinpoint” accuracy for precise DC and low-frequency measurements in applications such as test and measurement, medical, and industrial process control equipment.

The amp also eliminates the 1/f corner and features best-in-class offset drift to enable accurate measurement over the full extended industrial temperature range.

Th low offset drift optimises long-term temperature stability: the zero-drift architecture used in the INA188 delivers high accuracy for high-voltage precision-measurement applications. Compared to alternative solutions, it enables an offset voltage of 25 µV and a 33% lower offset-voltage drift of 80 nV/C to provide long-term temperature stability over the lifetime of the end equipment.

No 1/f corner and low DC noise enable precise measurements at low frequencies: the INA188 generates only 250 nVPP of noise from 0.1 Hz to 10 Hz, with no 1/f corner frequency between broadband and near-DC. When combined with the INA188's broadband noise floor of 12.5 nV/√Hz, the amplifier provides precision for low-frequency applications.

High voltage ensures signal integrity: capable of operating at up to 36V, the INA188 helps maintain signal integrity over the full extended temperature range by allowing larger gains than lower voltage instrumentation amplifiers.